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Posted on: March 12, 2019

Public Health Nurses Host Spanish Story Time for Families with Kids Up to 5 Years Old

The City of Portland Public Health's Maternal and Child Health Nurses are now offering a Story Hour in Spanish at their “Baby Hub" time. This is a free to the public month-long series beginning March 19 on Tuesday afternoons from 2-3 pm at the Reiche School Community Center. The group is opened to all Spanish speakers and learners with children ages 0-5 years old. This group is in addition to the Portland Infant and Toddler Group on Tuesday mornings from 10:30-12 in the same space, which has been hosted by the City's nurses for more than 20 years.

The new Spanish Story Hour will consist of four weekly sessions with song, stories, and rhymes in Spanish. A different theme will be celebrated each week including numbers, colors, animals, and clothing to engage infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in learning readiness activities as early language learners. Nurses will be joined at Story Hour by one of our Spanish-speaking playgroup parents who is also proficient in children's literacy, as well as a Spanish-speaking Community Health Outreach Worker from the City of Portland's Minority Health Program.

At the end of the series, each family will receive a board book in Spanish reflecting one of the themes presented. "We are hoping this is a first in a series of language learning story times to be offered at our Baby Hub! and to provide a language-specific learning opportunity to our ethnic minority groups,” said Mary Anne MacDormand, RN - one of the city's Maternal & Child Health Nurses. Other future series soon to follow at the Baby Hub may include Story Hour in Portuguese, French, and American Sign Language. Stay tuned for other events as well this spring including Infant/Child CPR classes and a clothing swap!

The City of Portland Public Health's Maternal & Child Health Nurses provide home visits to pregnant and postpartum women and children 0-5 who live in Portland.

For more information or to register for the upcoming Spanish Story Hour, please call 207-874-8475 or email: mch@portlandmaine.gov.